Volunteers help Impact Global Health Alliance Global meet our project goals through their generous gifts of time and resources. Madison Horizon's Rotary Club of Wisconsin and Florida Gulf Coast University brought teams back to Guatemala this spring and boy did we have a blast! Thank you to all of our 2012 volunteers!
Madison Horizon’s Rotary Club
This group of volunteers from Madison Wisconsin successfully returned from their work in Guatemala after pouring out their sweat through construction work at the Casa Materna in Calhuitz. The group worked hard to construct two additional showers at the Casa Materna, each day providing over eight hours of construction support to local men from the Health Committee who led the construction.
The Casa Materna provides a safe and comfortable place for women to give birth as well as receive reproductive health services since access to a clinic or hospital is dangerously limited. This model will be replicated and funds from the Madison Horizon's Club will help construct a new Casa Materna in another remote community starting in June.
The team also saw the success of their previous work efforts in Ixalhuitz as women gathered for services at the Convergence Center they constructed in 2003. They noted how pleased they were with our partner staff, the project, and their cultural experiences.
The smiles on these children's faces sure say a lot!
Florida Gulf Coast University
"We were able to check the development of the unborn child by measuring fundal heights, feeling for position and movements, and listening to fetal heart tones. This was the first time many of the women had heard their baby’s heartbeat. The excitement in their eyes was indescribable. Our competence and confidence increased each rewarding day."
Labor and Delivery nurses taught students and Guatemalan staff how to improve efficiency in the field and how to use new tools, delivering over $5,000 worth of in-kind supplies and medicines to the project. Volunteers exchanged ideas on labor and post-partum care with the staff and local midwives. They also collected qualitative information in the form of focus groups and interviews.
The nurses visited seven communities providing over 150 blood pressure checks, 40 child immunizations, 17 pre-natal examinations, and support to the health team in Guatemala. Nurses also provided critical care to a woman with a severe burn on her arm. All of the volunteers experienced valuable cultural lessons and provided incredible support to our partner and the communities of northwest Guatemala.
